History Domesticated rabbits arrived in Australia with theFirst Fleet. The first feral rabbit population wasreported in Tasmania as early as 1827. On themainland, Thomas Austin freed about a dozen onhis property near Geelong, Victoria, in 1859. Theyreached the Queensland – New South Wales borderby 1886 and covered most of their present rangeby 1910. This was despite the Western AustralianGovernment’s 1700 kilometre rabbit-proof fence,built between 1901 and 1907.Today, feral rabbits occur throughout Australia,except in the northernmost areas. environment.gov.auImpactFeral rabbits compete with native wildlife, damage vegetation and degrade the land. They ringbark trees and shrubs, and prevent regeneration by eating seeds and seedlings. Their impact often increases during drought and immediately after a fire, when food is scarce and they eat whatever they can.Feral rabbits may have caused the extinction of several small (up to 5.5kilograms) ground-dwelling mammals of Australia’s arid lands, and have contributed to the decline in numbers of many native plants and animals. In the Norfolk Island group, feral rabbits and goats reduced Philip Island to bedrock, leaving at least two plants locally extinct. Feral rabbits even threaten colonies of seabirds such as Gould’s petrel
History
Rabbits were introduced to Australia by the First Fleet and the first feral populations were established in Tasmania by 1827. The Victorian Acclimatisation Society released 24 rabbits on Christmas Day 1859 to hunt for sport and to help settlers feel more 'at home'.
By 1886, rabbits had spread as far as the Queensland-NSW border and by 1900 they had reached Western Australia and the Northern Territory. In the 60 years following 1886, rabbits invaded 4 million square kilometres of Australia, making it one of the fastest colonising mammals anywhere in the world.
Grazing and burrowing by rabbits can cause serious erosion problems, reduce recruitment and survival of native plants, and modify entire landscapes.
Rabbits also threaten the survival of a number of native animal species by altering habitat, reducing native food sources, displacing small animals from burrows, and attracting introduced predators such as foxes. Rabbits are believed to have contributed to the decline or disappearance of a number of species in NSW, such as the greater bilby, yellowfooted rock-wallaby, southern and northern hairy-nosed wombats, the malleefowl and the plains-wanderer.
Wild rabbits are Australia’s most widespread and destructive environmental and agricultural vertebrate pest. First arriving in Australia with the First Fleet, then deliberately released for hunting in the 1800′s, the rate of spread of the rabbit in Australia was the fastest of any colonising mammal anywhere in the world. They are now found in all states and territories, including several offshore islands.Rabbits graze on native and introduced vegetation, crops and pastures.Rabbit grazing can prevent seedlings from regenerating and reduce crop yields, as well as increase competition for feed with livestock. Rabbits damage native plants and directly compete with native wildlife for food and shelter. Their digging and browsing leads to a loss of vegetation cover, which in turn can result in slope instability and soil erosion. There are at least 156 threatened species that may be adversely affected by competition and land degradation by rabbits.
http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/pestsweeds/RabbitFactsheet.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=PMG9CzArGBE
History
Domesticated rabbits arrived in Australia with theFirst Fleet. The first feral rabbit population wasreported in Tasmania as early as 1827. On themainland, Thomas Austin freed about a dozen onhis property near Geelong, Victoria, in 1859. Theyreached the Queensland – New South Wales borderby 1886 and covered most of their present rangeby 1910. This was despite the Western AustralianGovernment’s 1700 kilometre rabbit-proof fence,built between 1901 and 1907.Today, feral rabbits occur throughout Australia,except in the northernmost areas.
environment.gov.auImpactFeral rabbits compete with native wildlife, damage vegetation and degrade the land. They ringbark trees and shrubs, and prevent regeneration by eating seeds and seedlings. Their impact often increases during drought and immediately after a fire, when food is scarce and they eat whatever they can.Feral rabbits may have caused the extinction of several small (up to 5.5kilograms) ground-dwelling mammals of Australia’s arid lands, and have contributed to the decline in numbers of many native plants and animals. In the Norfolk Island group, feral rabbits and goats reduced Philip Island to bedrock, leaving at least two plants locally extinct. Feral rabbits even threaten colonies of seabirds such as Gould’s petrel
History
Rabbits were introduced to Australia by the First Fleet and the first feral populations were established in Tasmania by 1827. The Victorian Acclimatisation Society released 24 rabbits on Christmas Day 1859 to hunt for sport and to help settlers feel more 'at home'.By 1886, rabbits had spread as far as the Queensland-NSW border and by 1900 they had reached Western Australia and the Northern Territory. In the 60 years following 1886, rabbits invaded 4 million square kilometres of Australia, making it one of the fastest colonising mammals anywhere in the world.
Grazing and burrowing by rabbits can cause serious erosion problems, reduce recruitment and survival of native plants, and modify entire landscapes.
Rabbits also threaten the survival of a number of native animal species by altering habitat, reducing native food sources, displacing small animals from burrows, and attracting introduced predators such as foxes. Rabbits are believed to have contributed to the decline or disappearance of a number of species in NSW, such as the greater bilby, yellowfooted rock-wallaby, southern and northern hairy-nosed wombats, the malleefowl and the plains-wanderer.
Wild rabbits are Australia’s most widespread and destructive environmental and agricultural vertebrate pest. First arriving in Australia with the First Fleet, then deliberately released for hunting in the 1800′s, the rate of spread of the rabbit in Australia was the fastest of any colonising mammal anywhere in the world. They are now found in all states and territories, including several offshore islands.Rabbits graze on native and introduced vegetation, crops and pastures.Rabbit grazing can prevent seedlings from regenerating and reduce crop yields, as well as increase competition for feed with livestock. Rabbits damage native plants and directly compete with native wildlife for food and shelter. Their digging and browsing leads to a loss of vegetation cover, which in turn can result in slope instability and soil erosion. There are at least 156 threatened species that may be adversely affected by competition and land degradation by rabbits.